Tuned Out
by RadioChick
Summary: Warrick's performance with his band has the team wondering(there's a reason I don't write novel jackets!)
1. Chords

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me. 'Nuff said.  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
Sara walked into the break room just in time to hear Nick saying "And there was a blade inside the vacuum so when the guy stuck his." At which point Warrick and Catherine both made groaning noises of disgust. Sara walked quietly by them towards the coffee maker in search of her second cup of the evening. Warrick came up beside her with an empty mug of his own.  
  
"Hey, Sar."  
  
"Hey." She held the pot up, offering to pour him some as well, and he happily accepted. They both walked back to the table and sat down waiting for Grissom. Sara noticed a hardshell guitar case with "Gretch" written on it leaning against the desk next to Warrick, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"New toy?" She asked, motioning towards the case.  
  
"Yeah. Been making payments on it for months. Finally got it out this evening. It's gonna be a long shift." He looked towards the case like a groom looks at his bride on their wedding night. Nick looked at his friend and grinned.  
  
"So play something." Catherine put her papers down, and smiled at him across the table.  
  
"Nah. Not here. Besides, I don't have an amp with me. Sounds way better with an amp." He patted the case. "And I doubt Grissom would appreciate it."  
  
"I never knew you played guitar." Sara looked at him with respect. She'd heard that he played piano, and now guitar.  
  
"Hehehe. Yeah. Been playing with some friends for a while. Place I DJ at sometimes has a band that plays live every Thursday night. I've been sitting in with them." Warrick smiled and gazed at the case until Grissom walked in and brought him back to the moment.  
  
"Alright people. We've got a busy night ahead of us. Catherine, you and Nick have a DB at the Palms. The security guard and owner are waiting for you in the lobby, and Brass is on his way as well. Nick, Warrick, Sara, you three are on a possible murder/suicide out in the dessert." As they headed out, Grissom caught sight of Warrick carrying his forensics case, and another thin, long case. An instrument case?  
  
"Warrick?" Grissom called the younger man over. "Why are you bringing that with you to a crime scene?"  
  
"Well, I can't leave it here. I thought I'd just stash it in the back until end of shift. No harm done." He didn't see what the problem was. Grissom walked off leaving Warrick a bit irritated.  
  
"He seems pretty on edge tonight." Nick noted.  
  
"Yeah." Warrick glanced back at the retreating Grissom. He wondered if Catherine had spilled his secret. He had admitted to her during a long shift the past week that if the band he was currently playing with ever made it, he was willing to give up his career at Las Vegas Crime Labs to pursue his music career. It's not like it was likely to happen. The odds of it were near insane. Still, you never can tell.  
  
"Penny for 'em." Nick elbowed Warrick as they got into the Tahoe.  
  
"Just daydreaming, Man."  
  
"What's her name?" Nick grinned and started up the Tahoe. Sara just rolled her eyes.  
  
"I may have to come see you play this week." Sara chimed in, having more of an idea where Warricks dreams probably lay.  
  
"I wish you would. Be nice to see you guys there. It'd give me a chance to really show off." He laughed.  
  
"What kind of guitar did you get? I saw it was a Gretch. Nice." Sara looked behind her at the case.  
  
"You know guitars? Why doesn't that surprise me." Warrick smiled at Sara from the review mirror.  
  
"I dabble. Just for fun. I'm not that good. I have a cheapo Epiphone copy of a Gibson SG." She smiled.  
  
"Really? I would've pegged you for an acoustic player."  
  
"What? No way. I'm totally amped." She laughed.  
  
Nick just fiddled with the radio. They were talking a different language to him. His knowledge of guitars was that some had six strings and some had four, and chicks looked really sexy with them. That was it. The two guitar aficionados groaned in unison as they heard the familiar twangs of classic country music blare from the speakers.  
  
"No, Man!" Warrick quickly adjusted the station to a mix station to avoid anymore musical conflicts as they sped off into the night.  
  
TBC 


	2. Humbuckers

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me. 'Nuff said.  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
"You know you're gonna have to show it to me after shift's over." Sara opened her car door, and headed to the back of the Tahoe. Warrick laughed. It was nice talking shop with Sara about something other than work. They tended to be too competitive when it came to work matters recently.  
  
"Man, she wants you to show it to her!" Nick couldn't resist elbowing Warrick, and got a hard elbow back in response.  
  
"Man, shut up!" He laughed.  
  
The three headed off-road towards the flashing police lights out in the desert. They were met by an all-too-familiar site, a couple of bodies with sheets pulled over them, and Archie kneeling over them.  
  
"Whenever you guys are through, I'll be happy to get out of here. This one gives me the creeps." He stood up and retreated to the van away from the scene.  
  
Sara peered down at the arm that lay sticking out from under the sheet. It still held a large Bowie knife covered in blood. She glanced over at the other covered form a few feet away. It was much smaller and surrounded by a pool of blood. Warrick carefully pulled the sheet away from the smaller victim to reveal a young girl in her early teens. Her neck was slashed ear to ear.  
  
The trio set out to collect blood samples and take as many pictures as needed. Warrick bagged the apparent murder weapon, and headed back to the SUV with the evidence. Nick sighed and shook his head. Sara remained silent as she took photos. Nobody liked a case that dealt with a murdered child. They headed back to the lab in relative quiet. It wasn't like they hadn't each seen worse, but it was a lousy end to a rough week.  
  
"I'll take the evidence in to trace. Check me in, will ya?" Warrick headed towards the DNA labs lugging his case full of evidence and his Gretch.  
  
"Yeah." Nick waved him on, and signed them in at the front desk.  
  
Sara walked back towards Grissom's office to fill him in on what they'd found. She found him sitting at his desk pouring over paper work. End of pay period paper work was something Grissom always saw as a waste of his time, and it never helped his mood any. He looked up at Sara's somber face and frowned.  
  
"What'd you find?" He leaned back in his chair and massaged the bridge of his nose. The start of a bad headache was coming on, and there was little he could do to stop it other than dim his work lights.  
  
"Two bodies. One appears to be the murderer. The other is a young girl. Warrick's running the evidence through trace. Hopefully we'll find out if there's a relationship between them. Neither had any ID on them, and there were no nearby tire tracks to indicate they drove to the site." Sara sat down in front of his desk.  
  
"Camp site's not too far from there. Did you check with the park rangers to see who got a camping permit recently?"  
  
"Nick's making the call. We recovered what looks like the murder weapon. We'll know for sure when Greg's done with the blood samples." Sara looked at Grissom with concern. He was kneading his brow like he was in pain. "Headache?"  
  
"Yeah. It'll pass. Good work. Keep me informed." With that Grissom got up and walked out, leaving Sara sitting alone in the dimly lit office.  
  
After shift, Warrick walked to his car alone. The sun was rising quickly over the city, and he was beat.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Warrick turned to see Sara walking towards him with her duffle bag slung over her shoulder.  
  
"You never showed me your new ax." She smiled at him as she approached. He returned the grin.  
  
"I didn't, did I?" He threw his own bag into his car, and laid the guitar case out across his hood. Carefully undoing the latches, he opened the case to reveal a beautiful, full-bodied six-string electric guitar with a double humbucker pick-up, a wammy bar, and gold-coated hardware. The finish was a glossy golden tone, and the fretboard was a dark brown with mother-of-pearl inlays. Sara nodded respectfully at the impressive instrument.  
  
"Nice!" She grinned.  
  
"You ought to come hear it in action this evening at the Blue Note Café. Still can't believe you play." He smiled.  
  
"Like I said. I dabble. I'm not gonna be up on a stage any time soon. I might stop in. What time?" She put on her sunglasses as they spoke.  
  
"Well, we'll be setting up around eight, but we don't really get going 'til around nine thirty. You're welcome to swing by early to meet the gang. Nick said he's try to show up too before shift."  
  
"Sounds good. I may even stick around. I'm off tonight. Maybe I'll get Nick to help me scream your name out like your own little groupie section." She laughed at the prospect.  
  
"Oh, yeah. That'd go over great!" He laughed and put the guitar gently on his backseat. "Well, ok then. See you guys tonight!"  
  
Sara watched as he pulled away, and headed over to her Yukon. She smiled as she got in and drove home to sleep.  
  
TBC 


	3. Dancing About Architecture

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me. 'Nuff said.  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
Nick pulled into the club's parking lot just in time to spot Sara walking in. He smiled to himself; glad that she hadn't chickened out. He walked into the club, paid the $3 cover charge, and looked around for his coworkers. Seeing Sara sitting alone towards the back, Nick waved to her, and headed over.  
  
"Hey!" He sat down at the table and held his hand up to alert the passing waiter of his need for libation.  
  
"You made it. Ever hear him play before?" Sara asked as the waiter passed her a beer bottle, and took Nick's drink order.  
  
"Nope. I saw him DJ once. I need to get some of that action. DJ's are chick magnets!" He laughed seeing Sara roll her eyes.  
  
"I'm betting it depends on the DJ." She grinned then sipped her beer.  
  
Nick chose to ignore the jab, and instead looked towards the small stage for Warrick. Warrick spotted him first, and walked over to the two of them.  
  
"Glad you guys came. C'mon. I'll introduce you to the band." He practically pulled Sara along with him, and Nick followed close behind. Nick was almost tongue-tied by the beautiful, tall women standing before him with a bass guitar slung over her shoulder. She wore a black leather mini skirt, a rather revealing blouse, and a smile. It only went to confirm his view that chicks with guitars were hot!  
  
"Hello! Nick Stokes. I work with Warrick. We go way back." Nick held out a hand, and Warrick shook his head and laughed.  
  
"Down boy." Sara patted his shoulder, and grinned.  
  
"Nick, Sara, this is Cherese Taulbee. She plays the bass guitar and lead vocals. Cherese, these are the two coworkers I told you about." She and Warrick exchanged a knowing grin, leaving Nick and Sara to wonder what exactly had been said on their behalf.  
  
Warrick pointed them towards the stage to a small trio setting mic stands and instruments up.  
  
"The short, bald guy's Mikey. He plays rhythm guitar." Mikey waved and went back to work. "The tall dude in dreads is my little cousin Steven, and this goon in the ballcap is Ted." The two smiled from the stage and nodded. "Steve plays the drums, and Ted plays saxophone and keyboards." Warrick walked them back over to their table in the corner.  
  
"They seem like a nice bunch." Nick smiled, still ogling the bass player.  
  
"She's not for you, Man." Warrick laughed.  
  
"Why not? She married? Oh! You two have a thing?" Nick gave him a conspiratorial nudge.  
  
"Uh, no. Not precisely. What I mean is you're not her type." Warrick smiled at Nick's wounded ego. "But don't worry, Man. I'm not her type either." Warrick pointed to Sara and Nick's eyebrows shot up in near shock.  
  
"No way!"  
  
Sara looked at Warrick defensively.  
  
"What're you pointing at me for?!?" She looked at them questioningly.  
  
"I'm just telling Nick that Cherese isn't his type." Warrick grinned evilly, and Nick looked bummed until his Neanderthal imagination kicked in bringing on a wide grin.  
  
"Not that she's not gorgeous and all, but I just don't swing that way. You guys are hormonally challenged!" Sara smacked Warrick's arm, and took a long swig of her beer.  
  
"I'm just playin' Sara. Speaking of which, I'd better get back up there, or I won't be playing anything."  
  
After a few minutes, Cherese got up to the microphone to announce the band. Loud applause erupted through the club. Nick and Sara threw wolf whistles out, and screamed Warrick's name. Warrick smiled. Their first song was a torchy ballad, and Warrick played lead guitar, showing off his moves. He even had a quick improvised solo that brought another loud round of applause. For the third song, a soulful rendition of Soundgarden's "Fell on Black Days." Warrick sang it as a duet with Cherese. After about an hour of great music, the band took a break to unwind and re-tune.  
  
"So! What'd you think?" Warrick came over carrying a round of beers.  
  
"That was awesome!" Sara grabbed the beer and beamed at him. She was experiencing what felt like a slight case of hero worship mixed with envy.  
  
"Yeah, Man. That was great! I wish I didn't have to go in tonight. I'd love to stay for the next set." Nick got up reluctantly.  
  
"I'm glad you came by at all. Means a lot to me.I only wish Cath could've come along too, but she had plans with Lyndsey." Warrick sat down for a breather.  
  
"I'll be sure and tell her what she missed." Nick waved, and left them to their beers.  
  
"You sure worked over the new guitar." Sara smiled at him across the table.  
  
"It felt good. Sounds even better than I'd hoped. You'll have to bring yours in some day for a jam."  
  
"Not gonna happen, but thanks. I told you I'm not that good. I haven't even picked it up in months." She laughed and raised her beer to him in mock salute. " So. . . is there any money in this? I mean, are you guys gonna try to record anything?"  
  
"I don't know, Sar." He felt reluctant to give out his dreams. "I love it though. Music's always been in my life. If something were to come of it, something legit, I think I could get used to that." He smiled, and looked back towards the stage. "Better get back. Wouldn't want to keep my groupies waiting." He winked, and walked back to the stage. Sara mulled over his words. The band was really good, and most of their stuff was original. Would he really leave police work to follow his music career. She couldn't blame him, but they would certainly miss him at the lab. She doubted anyone would be offering him a plant to stay though. She grimaced at the thought. She wondered if Grissom had any idea. It always felt to her like Warrick was his favorite. Over the past three years, she had truly grown fond of Warrick, but there was still that little hint of jealousy. At the number two ranked CSI lab in the country she was very good, but she was no longer Gil Grissom's star pupil. That honor seemed to land in the agile hands of Warrick Brown. Sara looked up at the stage with a mix of emotions.  
  
TBC 


	4. Frets

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing here. Please don't sue me. 'Nuff said.  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
Warrick sauntered into the break room in time to hear Nick talking up the last night's performance to Catherine. He grinned humbly. It felt good.  
  
"Hey, War! I was just telling Cath about your moves."  
  
"Those are trade secrets, Man!" He laughed, and appreciated the extra length of time Catherine's eyes remained on him, studying.  
  
"You're going to have to play something for me some time." She winked at him, and sat down at the table to await Grissom.  
  
"Where's Sara? She's usually here before any of us?" Nick looked to Catherine.  
  
"I saw her talking to Grissom earlier with Greg. She was catching up on a case."  
  
"Ah!" Nick smirked and shook his head. "Yeah. She was away from here a whole half a shift. Probably had withdrawal symptoms."  
  
"Don't tease her about this one." Catherine looked at the two men sternly. "Seriously. It's been a rough case. I'm really glad she got to go out with you too goons last night."  
  
That silenced the room, as did the appearance of Grissom and Sara in the doorway a moment later.  
  
"Ok! Slow night tonight." He looked around the table at his crew. "Sara, Nick, you're with me on this rape case. Catherine, you and Warrick meet Brass at the Lexor. There's been some burglaries in the rooms. A few have been forced. Last one left an elderly woman unconscious in the bathroom."  
  
"Great." Warrick frowned and looked over at Catherine who shared his enthusiasm for these kind of cases. Boring, and sure to cost the department a mint in powder and luminol. All to find that it was more than likely an employee all along. But let the evidence speak louder than the statistics.  
  
Sara looked up at Grissom. Since when was Nick on this case? She had been handling it mostly solo the whole week. She hated it when Grissom did this. She could handle these cases just fine. She didn't need to lean on Nicky for support. She could do the job, and she resented the implication that Grissom thought otherwise.  
  
Warrick raised an eyebrow as he caught the glare Sara was shooting at Grissom. If looks could kill they'd have a new crime scene on their hands.  
  
"You ready?" Catherine nudged Warrick to get his attention.  
  
"Yeah. Let's get this over with."  
  
They walked in silence out to the Tahoe. After getting in, Warrick questioned Catherine.  
  
"So what's with Sara? She looked like she was gonna beat Grissom when he put Nick with her."  
  
Catherine glanced at him quickly as she drove.  
  
"The rape vic they'd interviewed last week, the one that slipped into a coma, died night before last."  
  
"Oh, man." Warrick looked over at her understanding now. Sara took those cases harder than the rest of them. Everyone has their problem cases. "She didn't say anything about it when the three of us were out on site the other night. She seemed fine. And she had a good time last night."  
  
"She doesn't know yet. I'm guessing Nicky's going to have to break it to her."  
  
"Oh." He looked out the window. Leave it to Grissom to chicken out on anything emotional. Especially where Sara was involved. "He should tell her himself. Why's he gotta pull Nick into this?" He knew the answer, but he was also fishing.  
  
"I agree, but at least Nicky will be more comforting. Although she's going to be furious with Grissom."  
  
Warrick almost felt sorry for their boss. Almost, but not quite. The man had been his mentor and friend for a long time, but the past few years, he had been distancing himself from them all. The past month, since they found out about his surgery, he had seemed to be coming back into the fold. There still seemed to be something amiss, however.  
  
"Sounds like you really put on a show last night." Catherine chose to lighten the topic.  
  
"Did my best. It was great having Nick and Sara there. Wish you could've made it to." He gave her a wide grin.  
  
"I won't miss it next time. So. . . you been thinking seriously about your music career?" She knew a thing or two about that life since Eddy had once had her swamped in the darker side of it. She also knew that there was a good side. A side of the business where you basked in admiration, and got such a rush from just being around people who shared the same dream. It was a very tantalizing pull.  
  
"It's just a hobby, Cath. Can't pay the bills with a hobby." He looked out the window again, lost in the daydream.  
  
"But if you could pay the bills with it?" She pressed him, knowing the answer.  
  
"It'd be tempting." He looked up as they pulled into the Hotel's parking garage.  
  
He pulled the cases out of the back, handing one to Catherine. He glanced at the glowering hotel manager, who was currently giving Brass an earful, and laughed.  
  
"But how could I ever give this up?" He smiled at Catherine, who just grinned and walked on. It was going to be a long, tedious shift. 


End file.
